Games today:
(Filoil EcoOil Centre)
12 p.m. — Arellano vs Saint Benilde
2:30 p.m. — JRU vs EAC
College of Saint Benilde is the hottest team with six wins in its first seven games in Season 100 of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) men’s basketball tournament.
But don’t tell that to its coach, Charles Tiu.
Tiu admitted that despite their impressive record, things are not looking good as they huffed and puffed before emerging victorious in their past couple of games.
That’s why when they face Arellano University at 12 p.m. on Friday at the Filoil EcoOil Centre, he wants his boys to go all out for a victory that will get them over the hump.
Despite having a powerhouse lineup featuring transferees like Allen Liwag, Tony Ynot and Jhomel Ancheta, the Blazers delivered sluggish performance in their past couple of games.
In their previous game against San Sebastian College, in fact, the Blazers flirted with disaster as they turned the ball over 31 times before pulling off a 96-94 victory last Tuesday.
Tiu said they can’t afford to march to warzone thinking that they can win just by merely showing up.
“We’re contending for the Final Four but if we play like this, Arellano will beat us easily. We got lucky against San Sebastian but this is not the standard we want,” said Tiu, whose wards posted an average winning margin of 16.7 points in their first four victories.
“For us to be playing like this, this is like they’re in high school or grade school. We have to do a better job.”
“I told the guys it’s hard to win in the NCAA. On any given day, any team can beat you.”
Despite the struggle, Ynot did a solid job, firing 23 points while Liwag posted 17 points and 11 rebounds for the Blazers, who are on a mission after making an early exit in the Final Four last year.
But Arellano can’t be taken lightly.
Chiefs head coach Chico Manabat said they are determined to come up with the necessary adjustments to match the firepower of the Blazers.
He added that they are capable of pulling off a surprise, similar to what they did when they shocked reigning champion San Beda University, 72-70, last Saturday.
“It’s back to the drawing board for us. We will review their stats and see what will happen on Friday,” said Manabat, who will bank on the hot hands of Lorenz Capulong after he dropped 19 points in their 71-77 loss to Mapua University on Wednesday.
“We will prepare well for one day.”
Also expected to draw attention is the 2:30 p.m. tiff between Jose Rizal University and Emilio Aguinaldo College.
The Generals, who sit in seventh place with a 3-4 record, are coming off an impressive 90-88 win over host Lyceum of the Philippines University last Sunday and head coach Jerson Cabiltes emphasized the importance of starting strong in their games.
“We cannot start flat. In those two losses, we started flat and down by double digits,” Cabiltes said.
“We need to play the whole 40 minutes.”
EAC main man King Gurtiza is expected to once again lead the squad after scoring 21 points against the Pirates.